04/03/2020
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel, located in Southern Peru 🇵🇪 on a 2,430m mountain ridge. It is located above the Sacred Valley, which is 80km northwest of Cuzco
Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438-1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the 'Lost City of the Incas', it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. The Incas built the estate 🏡 around 1450 but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest. Although known locally, it remained unknown to the outside world until American historian Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911
Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historic Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll
Unfortunately, most cities built by the Inca civilization were destroyed by the Spanish conquest. Machu Picchu was in a hidden location—invisible from below—and not found, making it one of the most well-preserved Inca cities and an archeological gem.